Echoes of 1971: the tragedy at Thiokol
A few weeks ago, I arrived at the Thiokol Museum and was greeted by two exceptionally knowledgeable docents. For the next 45 minutes, I listened to them describe the events that led to the creation of the museum. The story they shared with me was sobering. A horrific explosion occurred on February 2, 1971 at the Thiokol Chemical plant in Woodbine, Georgia. Thirty Thiokol employees' lives were lost, and more than 100 others were injured.
Prior to the explosion, 600 Thiokol workers in Woodbine supported troops in the Vietnam War and the United States Space Program. They created the world’s largest rocket engine of its time in 1965 and they manufactured munitions for our military.
By 1970, Thiokol was an established designer and manufacturer of solid propellant rocket motors and gas generators. They flew Mercury and Gemini astronauts to the moon and returned them safely home. They were orbiting Earth with Intelsat III satellites and surveying the undersea world. And, they provided power for the nation’s space programs and missile defense. They were leaders in the field of propellant technology.
According to many news accounts, on Wednesday, February 2, 1971, fire broke out where military trip flares were assembled at Thiokol’s Woodbine facility. The explosion caused a mushroom cloud of flame to travel high into the sky. Rescue workers reported that employees were hurled 400 feet by the blast.
In 1971, ambulances and hospitals were segregated. However, no one paid attention to the rules that day. Small planes and helicopters were pressed into service. The civil defense director at Brunswick reported that 10 acres of forest were in flames. Firefighters from Camden, Glynn, Nassau, and Duval counties were called to the scene. The injured were taken to several hospitals in the region. Mayor Hans Tanzler of Jacksonville opened all hospital beds to all the injured by eliminating segregation rules during this tragic event. Governor Jimmy Carter flew to the site to get a firsthand view of the disaster.
The blast occurred in a building containing magnesium trip flares for the Vietnam War. The building, constructed of reinforced concrete walls, was flattened. Other buildings on-site were also damaged. The blast was felt for 50 miles in all directions. Windows were shattered within an 11-mile radius of the facility, according to newspaper accounts.
Thiokol division manager in charge of the plant said they "employ more than 600 and manufacture various munitions for the U.S. government. The chemicals in that building were classified as a burning material, not detonating material. There were no high explosives involved in making trip flares and illuminating devices in that area.”
The company's general manager told reporters at a press conference two days later that the flares were rated “Class 2” by the government, meaning the material would burn but was not supposed to explode.” Hilton Herring, a guard on duty at the main gate 2 miles away said it looked like pictures of an atomic bomb exploding.
According to the docent at the Thiokol Museum, a letter was sent to the Thiokol Chemical facility in Woodbine from government officials before the blast occurred. It stated that the materials used for making trip flares were misclassified. The material used should not have been rated as “Class 2” flammable material. Instead, it should be rated as “Class 8” highly explosive material.
The class rating change would have required stricter storage and handling regulations at the Woodbine facility. The employee who received the reclassification letter placed it in his desk drawer. He was drafted and departed for the Vietnam War before sharing the letter with other employees. The letter was not discovered by plant management until after the explosion.
“The tragedy at the Thiokol Chemical facility changed the quality of life for millions of Americans, resulting in improvements in transportation, emergency medical services, mass tort litigation, and plant safety, according to the General Assembly of Georgia - Resolution 346 passed in 2019.” The Resolution dedicated the interchange at Interstate 95 and Exit 7 in Camden County as the “Patriots of Thiokol Memorial Interchange.”
The Thiokol Memorial Project, Inc. is dedicated to “Remembering, Honoring, and Educating society about our Patriots that perished and all the Heroes that risked their lives to save them.” To learn more about this tragic event and how it brought communities together, visit the Thiokol Museum in Kingsland, Georgia.
The 1971 Thiokol tragedy caused me to pause and consider recent efforts by RYAM - Rayonier Advanced Materials Chemical Manufacturing to re-classify bio-fuel chemical processing through the Florida Legislature and federal courts. And, I wonder if any current RYAM employees have visited the Thiokol Museum in Kingsland, Georgia. If not, they should.
